Found 5 Tips On How To Become A Successful Freelancer

Monday, July 25th, 2016

I finally found the time to write about how to become a successful freelancer. It has been more than 6 months for me and I already can tell you a few things about what to do and what to avoid. I have written a blog post about the beginnings before, but here’s my progress. When I talk to people about how to become a successful freelancer there’s such a big halo around it. Don’t misunderstand me, I like it when people think it’s a big deal but I also think if you’re a creative person who likes to find solutions, becoming a freelancer is easier than you think. It has a lot to do with your own attitude.

Before I give you some useful tips I want to tell you when I decided to go freelance and how I started. As far as I remember, I started thinking about freelancing 4 months into my new job when I also started this blog in January 2015. I secretly told myself I have one year to make the jump. So I’d say my thoughts lasted way longer than my actions but that’s quite a common thing. The urgency of becoming freelance is mostly developed out of an emergency, e.g. getting fired, or a huge dissatisfaction, e.g. the job is not fulfilling anymore. My job was alright and so were all the others before but my problem was that everything was too slow for me and I could barely develop my own skills because I had to follow processes and rules. I know I sound like such a rebel but I knew for a long time I might not be the best person doing what other people tell me to do, at least not without questioning it. So freelancing was the first step into independence. I’m guilty of not being prepared enough, i.e. I didn’t have savings when I made the jump. I just couldn’t wait anymore. It might not be the best starting point but on the other hand, I really needed to push myself to make things happen.

At the moment, I still have a mix of different jobs. I work sporadically for an agency as a social media manager and I do have my own clients. I’ve been incredibly lucky that my clients can see such a big potential in me and trust me with my expertise. I not only help them with their social media channels, I also provide help with branding, PR, and marketing. The truth is that I can do so much more than social media but sometimes it’s tricky to sell this to your client when your obvious expertise is social media. Once people get to know me and have seen what I’m capable of we’re rocking their brand together.

But enough about me and my clients. I want to tell you a little bit more about how you can make it, too. Here we go!

Fake it until you make it
I so believe in this in so many ways. It sounds a little bit like cheating but it is not. A lot of people think they need to work years in a company to gain expertise but all you really gain is confidence and you can develop that, too, when you start freelancing. I have learned so much more in half a year of freelancing than I have by working for a company for 2 years. We’re so lucky that all the things you need to know can be found online nowadays. Visit workshops or (free) events to gain the knowledge you think you’ll need. You can do that whilst you’re freelancing by the way.

Think out of the box
And by that I mean when it comes to finding your clients. That’s a big question, isn’t it? And it’s a good question. You need to train yourself thinking out of the box. I found my clients all in different ways and I’m sure there will be even more ways to create opportunities – by the way, I’m organising an event with a friend in London soon and it’s all about creating your own opportunities (coming soon on my blog!). Here are a few examples to help you thinking:

Use your social media channels; it can be very powerful. I found 2 of clients on social media; I approached the first one on Twitter & the other client found me on Instagram

Visit events & put yourself out there

Join Facebook groups & offer your help – I recently collaborated with a photographer for one of my clients & our relationship started by her offering a free photo shoot in one of those Facebook groups

Don’t be shy to tell all your friends what you’re doing, even your fellow freelancers; there are more possibilities out there than you think & I personally appreciate it when I know a person I can recommend (PS: Tell me what you’re doing!)

Plan a PR stunt. That sounds maybe crazy & huge but why not start something real & surprising?! A friend of mine told me once that she wanted to work for a specific agency so she put up a table in front of the office and gave away free Glühwein (mulled wine) to the staff – by the way, she’s German. Mulled wine was a great association to her nationality & personality. She wrote little messages on the cups so they remembered her. How creative is that?

Where to invest your time in
I already brought this up briefly but social media is very powerful. I might be biased because I have used it successfully but I guess that makes me eligible to make this statement. You can work on your social media presence any time and you can spend as much time as you want. But that’s how you get the chance to reach out to many people. I’m not going to lie, it rarely will be a success over night & it takes some time but you build amazing relationships with people who will support you & who follow you on your journey. The key is consistency. Of course, it doesn’t harm if you combine online & offline events every now & then (see examples above).

Never stop learning
This is a very important attitude when it comes to becoming a freelancer. I can see it in myself & I have read it about people who are successful: they always search for more knowledge. They’re always curious. We live in a world where technology almost changes monthly. But it’s also important to understand what people are looking for & how they consume things. There’s so much to learn about human beings, about technology, and about the world. If you’re one of those curious minds you definitely have an advantage.

Positive ThinkingBeing a freelancer can be tough but it’s crucial that you stay positive & engaged. There might be a period where times are rough & you can’t go out with your friends for drinks but making these compromises from time to time & especially at the beginning will reward you with independence not to say freedom. Work harder to get more clients or agency jobs. I always have in mind a) if I need to I can get back to a full-time job & b) if money is tight I consider working in a coffee shop or somewhere else where I can earn quick money. There are always alternatives. Just don’t forget to think positively because that way of thinking will help you to find a solution.

Please share your thoughts with me! Are you thinking of going freelance? What does stop you? Where do you see your biggest problem? I’m happy to give some more advice and encouragement!

x

Working from the coffee shop around the corner of co-working space Campus London.

Working with my freelance friend Emelie on my shared terrace in East London.

Found Illustrator Marylou Faure

Thursday, July 21st, 2016

Summer is finally in London! It’s the perfect time to introduce you to illustrator Marylou Faure. I discovered her at the recent Adobe Creative Meetup. It was an event where creatives talked about their skills and careers. I highly recommend attending one of their events. If you’re interested in creative talks from Adobe you can pre-register here. It was a very well organised and inspiring session. Do you know the feeling when you met lots of creative people and listened to their stories and then you go home and just want to create things?! I definitely felt like that when I listened to Marylou’s talk.

I just thought that illustrator Marylou Faure totally stood out. Her style seemed very significant. She was telling us how she started and what it means to develop your own style. You have to practice, practice, practice, but with a lot of patience and stamina, you can do it, too.

Her illustrations are very bold. I remember she was saying she wanted to go away from the cute designs and be more daring. A great tip from her: if you want to be known for a specific style you need to put it in your profile. Don’t put everything you’ve done in your portfolio. Show people who you really are and what you want to do.

Would you agree with her statement? It was really interesting to hear that illustrator Marylou Faure started off with a darker approach to her illustrations. But one day she decided to make her drawings brighter and happier. Well, I can tell you that they definitely make me happy, especially since summer has finally arrived in London, too. She went through stages until she developed the style you can now see in her illustrations. I really loved seeing her process and progress.

It was really interesting to hear that illustrator Marylou Faure started off with a darker approach to her illustrations. But one day she decided to make her drawings brighter and happier. Well, I can tell you that they definitely make me happy, especially since summer has finally arrived in London, too. She went through stages until she developed the style you can now see in her illustrations. I really loved seeing her process and progress.

What do you think of her illustrations?

x

Found Creativity At The Viking Arty Party

Monday, July 18th, 2016

What do you think about workshops? A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend the Viking Arty Party, a blogger meetup where we could test some arty skills such as origami, block printing, and calligraphy. I’ve never seen so many creative bloggers in one place. It was great meeting some like-minded souls. A couple of months ago I’ve attended my first workshop. It was all about collaging in different forms. I really loved it. So I was very excited to attend the Viking Arty Party and I want to tell you a little bit more about the different workshops. Are you ready?

Origami Workshop

First stop was the Origami workshop with Samuel from MindFOLDness. You’ll probably wonder but origami wouldn’t be my first workshop choice although it’s the closest to Found Some Paper. Anyway, I totally changed my mind. It’s wonderful! First of all, we got a little introduction to what origami means and where it’s used. Samuel was so good in explaining the meaning of origami and he impressed us with stories of the folding craft in different areas such as medicine and the space industry. If you want to know more about origami and mindfulness his book will help. Finally, we folded a bird ourselves. It’s quite therapeutic and relaxing, to be honest. Samuel told us to give this bird to a stranger as an act of kindness. What a wonderful idea, don’t you think?! Have you ever tried origami?

Block Printing Workshop

Second on the list was block printing. It’s actually easier than you think. You don’t need a lot of materials. Jane from Tea & Crafting introduced us to the art of block printing. All we needed was a thin sponge, a piece of plastic to stick our sponge shape on and some paint. I’m a big fan of triangles and diamonds so I tried to combine these two and block printed a Viking folder with my purple shapes. I’d love to show it to you but I was too concentrated in the workshop I forgot to take a picture. What shape would you choose? Have you ever tried block printing?

Calligraphy Workshop

Last but not least, we had some time to dive into calligraphy. I almost missed it because I had to attend a friend’s birthday party but then I decided to stay half an hour longer to at least try it. And it was so worth it. Suzie from À L’aise came super prepared. I was quite impressed how structured her workshop was. She printed some beautiful templates for us to use and practice with. After a short introduction, we started immediately. It was so much fun! I didn’t have time to do the whole alphabet but we could keep the ink and the pen so I still need to practice more. If I have to compare calligraphy to something it would be the language French. Not sure if you can relate to this comparison. It’s just beautiful. If you have ever tried calligraphy it would be amazing if you share it with me on Twitter.

And here’s me very concentrated taking photographs (this photo was taken by Search Laboratory). When I was a child I always put out my tongue when I was being creative. Guess nothing has changed much hahaha

I’m constantly seeking inspiration. I love scrolling through Instagram – #illustration – and Pinterest for inspiration. I do it like Picasso: fake it until you make it. Before he developed his own style he used to copy other artists’ work. Well, ‘copying’ is a strong word. He got inspiration from other artists until he found his own way of expression.

Once I draw a line the ice is broken. It’s similar to many things. Once you got your sports clothes on you’re ready to hit the gym; once you put your shoes on you’ll enjoy going for a walk with your dog; and once you start to open your art journal and draw your first line you’re in the zone. Most of the time it’s the first step and you get your creative juices flowing.

It’s a relaxing break. Every creative mind needs a break. It can be a nap, of course, but drawing in your art journal makes you feel relaxed and creative at the same time. I don’t know if you ever had the feeling when you’re creative one idea leads to another idea. It’s because your mind is free from stress but the wires are connected. I definitely do art journaling to relax.

Sharing keeps me going. I hope this doesn’t sound self-centred but it makes me happy to share my illustrations. Of course, I could keep them for myself but I love showing that I’m active in the creative field. It motivates me to produce more and more work. I’m not saying everything I create is good – that is subjective anyway – but by sharing my art I can get feedback and improve. Don’t be shy to share your work, too.

I’m creating opportunities.Last but not least, you never know what can come out of your efforts. I was so happy when a journalist asked me if I want to talk about art journaling in docrafts’ magazine CREATIVITY after I published my first post on art journaling. I was featured amongst other way more talented art journalers. Take a peek here.

Do you have an art journal yourself? I’d love to see yours! Share it with me on Twitter.

x

PS: I’m always happy to hear feedback, too.

Found Design Inspiration At Bisazza

Tuesday, July 5th, 2016

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure to visit the Bisazza showroom in South Kensington, London. I also met fellow bloggers Jordan and Russell from 2 Lovely Gays as well as Kate from Mad About The House.

Together, we created our own little tile designs in a morning workshop. Head to my Twitter account to see what I’ve made. We also had an interesting introduction to the designs of Bisazza. To be honest, I’ve never really thought about tiles but after I’ve visited the showroom my opinion completely changed. After all, we have at least two rooms with tiles in our house: the bathroom and the kitchen. So much potential! I will never look at these two rooms in the same way again and yes, I feel that my bathroom and the kitchen look fairly boring after I’ve discovered Bisazza’s dream world of tiles.

Bisazza works together with artist teams like the Studio Job and Tom Dixon, who I’ve also discovered recently and with whom I fell deeply in love with… ehm, I mean with his design. Of course, Bisazza is an extravagant brand and it’s not cheap. Therefore, I recommend start saving now so when you buy your own house you won’t be able to go with any lower than these tiles after reading my blog post. Promised!

I’m definitely planning on having a pool in my house. Tiles sorted! What would you create in your bathroom or kitchen?

x

I really like the gold and white tiles at the entrance of the Bisazza showroom. It looks very elegant.

Bisazza has so many inspirations to choose from; every colour theme you can imagine as well as the most beautiful artworks.

This is us creating our own tile designs. The Bisazza team was absolutely lovely and I really enjoyed getting creative myself.

Just look at the details of the mosaic flowers. They’re not only a place where you buy tiles, it’s a place of inspiration and true art.

ME

Welcome to my blog! I'm glad you're here because this is the right place to get inspired. Together we can live a more creative life and discover the curious world of art and design.
I'm Uli & if you want to collaborate with me, send me an email at uli@foundsomepaper.com.